The incorporation of low levels of tapioca dextrins into starch enrobing slurries is known in a variety of forms including as pure compositions (NATIONAL™ 0280 or CRYSTAL TEX™ 644 dextrin, Ingredion Incorporated) and as blends with high amylose starches (Crisp Coat® UC brand crisping agent, Ingredion Incorporated). The crispness of the enrobed food after frying is determined by several factors including the cook-out of the starch and/or flour, the moisture balance between the starch and/or flour solution surface and inside of the food, the thickness of the coating layer, and the interaction of ingredients in the enrobing slurry. The coating forms a discontinuous film which lets the moisture from the inside of the food escape or vent out, but will not absorb significant amounts of moisture into the coating layer. There is a trend in the food industry to provide “all natural” battered and breaded foods. In order to achieve this objective, chemically modified starch and dextrin may not be used. Chemically modified starches can be replaced by thermally modified alternatives. However, no effective alternative had been found in the past to replace the dextrin in fry coatings to provide an enhanced crisping effect.
Woerman et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,168 issued May 12, 1998 teach aqueous starch enrobing slurries comprising not less than 30% by weight ungelatinized cross-linked tapioca starch, a rice flour component at a solids concentration of from about 10% to about 25% by weight, and which is substantially free of corn starch. Thomas et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,420 B1, issued Apr. 24, 2001 show a thermally inhibited, waxy maize starch and thermally inhibited, waxy rice flour in a 25% fat salad dressing. Wong et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,433 B2 issued May 29, 2007 teach a flour/starch blend for preparing stuffed rolls wrappers comprising from 48% to 52% of high amylose rice starch, from 31% to 36% of high amylose rice flour, from 8% to 12% of potato starch, from 4% to 7% of modified tapioca starch, and from 0.2 to 2% of pregelatinized wheat flour.
Rogels et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2001/0004463 A1, dated Jun. 21, 2001 describe a fry coating composition comprising ungelatinized starch and not less than 50% of rice flour. Scavone et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2001/0055637 A1, dated Dec. 27, 2001 describe a coating for potato strips comprising cross-linked potato starch (39.245 wt %), high amylose corn starch (30.83 wt %), tapioca dextrin (13.215 wt %), and rice flour (15.0 wt %). Brown et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0025382 A1, dated Feb. 2, 2006 teach an extruded breakfast cereal containing 43% modified maize starch, 11.5% rice flour, 11.5% oat flour, and 20.4% wheat flour. Villagran et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0286271 A1, dated Dec. 21, 2006, teach a rice flour composition having from about 20% to about 95%, by weight, of a rice flour and from about 5% to about 80%, by weight, of rice starch material. DeStafeno in Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0181147 A1, dated Jul. 16, 2009, teaches a dry mix for gluten-free baked goods comprised of approximately ½ part rice flour, ⅛ part tapioca starch, and ⅛ part corn starch. Foo et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2011/0151094 A1, dated Jun. 23, 2011, teach a rice-based food product having a reduced GI value comprising mixing rice flour and tapioca starch to form a dry mix. Sistrunk et al. in Patent Application Publication No. US 2013/0337118, dated Dec. 19, 2013, discloses a coating composition for battered and breaded foods composition comprising separately by weight: from about 20% to about 70% of non-gelatinized starch, from about 5% to about 40% of rice flour, from about 5% to about 30% of high amylose corn starch, and from about 5% to about 40% of flour or starch, which has been heat moisture treated or thermally inhibited.